1976: Mao Zedong dies. Deng Xiaoping takes over. "Gang of Four" arrested. Chines Gulag system ([link|http://www.values.ch/Communism/China/Mao/mao-laogai.htm|"laogai"]) remains intact.

1977: Deng announces the [link|http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/china2.htm#MOD|Four Modernizations].

1978: Hua Guofeng reveals Ten Year plan for the [link|http://www.country-studies.com/china/the-four-modernizations,-1979-82.html|Four Modernizations]. With the [link|http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive_Index/joint_communique_1979.html|Joint Communique on Establishment of Diplomatic Relations] Jimmy Carter normalizes relations between US and Red China, at the expense of Taiwan.

1979: Congress passes [link|http://www.hongkong.usconsulate.gov/ustw/geninfo/tra1979.htm|Taiwan Relations Act] to counter effects of the Joint Communique. [link|http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/haq/199903/9903a007.htm|Democracy Wall movement] officially shut down. [link|http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/12/15/112856.shtml|One Child policy] instituted, leading directly to widespread forced abortion and infanticide of girls. [link|http://www.christusrex.org/www1/sdc/Dec95d.htm|Wei Jingsheng] arrested.

1980: Sino-US military relations established. First [link|http://english.people.com.cn/english/200011/14/eng20001114_55144.html|Special Economic Zones] set up in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Xiamen .

1981: "Gang of Four" convicted in show trial for previous regime's atrocities. Remnants of [link|http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/haq/199903/9903a007.htm|Democracy Wall movement] suppressed in crackdown.

1984: Wei Jingsheng sent to forced labor camp. "Provisional regulation on the use of executed prisoners' corpses and organs" passed, beginning the practise of harvesting organs from political prisoners. China joins International Atomic Energy Agency.

1986: Wave of student protests.

1987: Police fire on pro-democracy demonstrators in Lhasa, Tibet. Reform-minded [link|http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0018945.html|Hu Yaobang] forced out.

1988: Coastal zones opened to foreign investment.

1989: Martial law imposed on Tibet. Hu Yaobang dies. Protesters in [link|http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/China/TianamenSquare.CP.html|Tienanmen Square] massacred by government. George Bush imposes sanctions on Communist China for the massacre. European Union imposes [link|http://tokyo.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20041118-07.html|arms embargo].

References:

Here's [link|http://www.china.org.cn/english/china-us/26890.htm|Communist China's chronology of US relations]
North Park Universiry [link|http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/China/PRC.html|has a chronology]
[link|http://www.freetibet.org/info/facts/fact18.html|freetibet.org]

[link|http://www.angelfire.com/ca3/marlowe/china.html#20050320|Angelfire link] (turn off Javascript to avoid popups)

Freenet: /SSK@jbf~W~x49RjZfyJwplqwurpNmg0PAgM/marlowe/china.html#20050320

[link|http://fnmarlowe-politics-world.blogspot.com/2005/03/communist-china-after-mao-up-through.html|Comment at blogger.com]